Different Learning Styles and related theories are discussed in great detail in this PPT. You can download the PPT to read more information presented in the Slide Notes.
You can even take a Free Quiz based on Honey Mumford's theory to know your own Learning Style: https://www.eln.co.uk/blog/honey-mumford-learner-types-1986-questionnaire-online
We hope you find this information useful.
2. Content
• Introduction to Diversity
• Examples of diverse learners
• Introduction to learning styles
• Types of learning styles
• Theories on Learning styles
• Integration of learning styles in a diverse classroom
3. Introduction to Diversity
Equality and Diversity aims to promote and accept the differences
between people. Equality is about creating an equal opportunities in
terms of status and rights. Diversity is recognising and respecting
that everybody is different.
https://eln.co.uk/blog/equality-diversity-classrooms
Difference between Equality and Diversity
4. Examples of Diverse learners
• Age
• Gender
• Confidence
• Peer pressure
• Cultural or religious attitudes
Common issues that diverse learners face
• Educational backgrounds
• Financial situation
• Development of language
• Multilingualism
• Social or cultural barriers
5. Introduction to Types of Learning styles
Learning styles are factors, attitudes and behaviours that aid an individual in
their learning and process visual, auditory and kinaesthetic information.
These Factors can be the following:
• The Visual or Spatial Learner
• The Logical or Mathematical Learner
• The Interpersonal Learner
• The Intrapersonal Learner
• The Linguistic Learner
• The Naturalist
• The Musical or Rhythmic Learner
• The Kinaesthetic Learner
6. Linguistic
This method requires a the trainer to ensure that their learners do the following:
Traditionals
Read Listen Write Speak
Reading about a
new skill.
For e.g, Driving
Listening to
instructions by a
professional
trainer or
recordings of
experienced
drivers
Writing down
driving
instructions step
by step
Speaking about
the skill, its
detailed aspects
and technicality of
driving
7. The Naturalist
A technique where trainer makes their learners learn from experience and
practical's.
For instance, Driving a car requires experience more than theoretical knowhow.
Scientists
Theoretical knowledge Practice driving Experiment while reversing & parking
8. Music
Some learners learn best in presence of background noise or music.
For instance, children learn ABC, times table and poems through rhythm.
Rhythmic learning
Poems
Rhymes
Background Music Jingles
9. Kinaesthetic
A technique that involves ‘objects’ during the learning process.
‘Hands-on experience’
Calculator Stethoscope Hammer Makeup Tailoring Injection
10. Spatial
Learning that requires use of images, diagrams and other graphic aids to retain
information.
Visual Learners
Graphs Charts Images Computer
programmes
Sequence
12. Interpersonal
A technique where learners perform better when they are a part of a group.
• Induced ideas in each other
• Demonstration of processes
• Open to ask questions
• 1 on 1 approach
• Require external forces for motivation
13. Intrapersonal
A technique where learners perform better when they work alone.
• Introverts
• Creative
• Take notes
• Prefer case studies
14. Theories on Learning Styles
Talks about questionnaires that probes general behavioural tendencies. The four
learning styles are:
Honey and Mumford
15. Activists Reflectors
Individuals who learn by doing Individuals learn by watching &
contemplating
• Brainstorming
• Problem solving
• Group discussion
• Puzzles
• Competitions
• Role-play etc
• Paired discussions
• Self-analysis questionnaire
• Personality questionnaires
• Time out
• Observing activities
• Feedback from others
• Coaching
• Interviews
Pragmatists Theorists
Individuals perceive how to put the
learning into practice
Require models, ideas and truths
with a specific end goal
• Case studies
• Problem solving
• Discussion
• Models
• Statistics
• Stories
• Quotes
• Background information
• Applying concepts theoretically
16. Theories on Learning Styles
This learning style model was developed from his experiential learning cycle
theory in 1984. These theories have largely to do with the inner cognitive
processes of one’s mind.
1. Concrete Experience – (CE): A new experience or a new meaning from a
previous situation is experienced. This acts as a stimulus.
2. Reflective Observation – (RO): reflection on the new meaning/experience,
especially on the discrepancy and gap between learner’s understanding and
the experience.
3. Abstract Conceptualisation – (AC): new ideas or modified existing abstract
thoughts stem from this reflection.
4. Active Experimentation – (AE): learner applies this to the outer world.
David Kolb
18. Theories on Learning Styles
Entwistle (1991) refined his research to include that each of these learning approaches are used
interchangeably by students according to the context of their learning. A teacher’s behaviour
and attitude, the course being studied, and other environmental and situational factors form a
large part of this context.
Approaches defined by Entwistle:
• Deep learning approach: A reflective approach where an individual like to explore and
determine the meaning of what he/she has learned and shows interest in ideas and
monitoring understanding.
• Strategic learning approach: Individuals are systematic and organised. They show alertness
towards assessment and continually monitor their studying habits or routines.
• Surface apathetic learning approach: Individuals are syllabus-bound focus on fulfilling just
the minimum requirements is because they often reconsider why they are studying what is
being taught to them.
J. Entwistle and Ramsden
19. Theories on Learning Styles
Learning styles summaries the concept that individuals have different ways and preferences of learning.
The variables studied are:
• Origins and influence - definition, description and scope of the learning style instrument
• Measurement by authors
• Description of instrument
• Reliability and validity
• External evaluation reliability and validity
• General implications for pedagogy empirical
• Evidence for pedagogical impact
Coffield et al - Critique of Learning Styles
21. Contact Details
To learn more about Adopting Learning Styles within
Equality and Diversity, please visit www.eln.co.uk/courses
Feel free to contact us for more information at
info@eln.co.uk.
Editor's Notes
The linguistic learner is one who learns best through linguistic skills including reading, writing, listening, or speaking.
Sometimes, it’s a combination of these methods. So, for example, if a linguistic learner wanted to tackle a new skill, their best method of learning would be to read about it, then listen to an audio recording and take notes on it. Finally, concretising it would require speaking about it and, possibly, writing about it extensively.
Ways to Help Linguistic Learners Retain Information
Create a handout summarising your presentation to give to your audience
List out keywords on your slides
Use acronym mnemonics as teaching devices
Separate your audience into groups for discussion questions
The naturalist learns by working with, and experiencing, nature.
If this sounds a lot like a scientist, it’s because that’s how scientists learn. The naturalist loves experiences, loves observing the world around them, and captures the best information or knowledge through experimentation.
Ways to Help Naturalistic Learners Retain Information
Consider hosting various presentations or talks outside
Create guides for how to learn more about your topic out of doors
Explain how your audience can observe your topic in the real world
Work one-on-one with audience members outside
The musical or rhythmic learner is one who learns using melody or rhythm.
This would be like a musician learning how to play by listening to a piece of music or a drummer who hears beats in his head and on the street from arbitrary sources before putting it together in the studio. But it can also be a person who learns best while humming, whistling, toe-tapping, tapping their pencil on the desk, wiggling, or listening to music in the background. For this person, music isn’t a distraction but instead actually helps the learning process.
Some people also think better with background noise, so you may often notice that some people think best when they hum, whistle, bounce a ball off the wall, or make some other noise or move (pace) while thinking.
Ways to Help Auditory Learners Retain Information
Hold discussions and debates
Speak clearly so your audience can hear you
Incorporate background music into your presentation
Create jingles or rhymes to help teach information
The Kinaesthetic learner is a person that learns best by actually doing something.
These people are also scientific in nature and must interact with objects in order to learn about them (or learn about them in the best way possible).
None of these careers could be done without “hands-on experience.” Many of these jobs, with rare exceptions, are also trade professions that require an apprenticeship or shadowing.
Ways to Help Kinesthetic Learners Retain Information
Bring volunteers onstage to assist with demonstrations
Provide step-by-steps for audience members to do something on their own
Give out worksheets with fill in the blanks from your presentation
Incorporate learning games into your talk
A visual or spatial learner is a person who learns best if there are visual aids around to guide the learning process.
For example, someone who can learn best from diagrams, pictures, graphs would be a visual or spatial learner. These people tend to be technically-oriented and enter engineering fields.
An example of this type of learner would be a person who becomes a computer engineer or programmer.
But, the best students are those that are visual or spatial learners. Why? Because being proficient in programming and IT requires that you be a strong visual or spatial learner.
Almost everything having to do with computers is conceptual and so it relies on graphical or visual representations of components that can’t actually be seen (e.g. bytes).
Ways to Help Visual Learners Retain Information
Use charts, graphs, maps, diagrams, timelines and infographics
Replace words with colours and images
Stay away from blocks of text, focusing on one idea per slide
Highlight important points in colour
The logical or mathematical learner must classify or categorise things.
They also tend to understand relationships or patterns, numbers and equations, better than others. These are obviously engineers, scientists, mathematicians, and other technical professions.
Ways to Help Logical Learners Retain Information
Share the key concepts behind lessons instead of fun facts
Play a game with the audience during your presentation
Provide specific goals for your audience to achieve with your information
Share how pieces of your information relate to each other
The interpersonal learner is someone who learns by relating to others.
Often, these people share stories, work best in teams, and compare their ideas to the ideas of others. In a sense, others help them think of new ideas of their own. They are often naturally good leaders as well as team players. You often see these people in various fields of psychology or social sciences.
Ways to Help Interpersonal Learners Retain Information
Break your audience off into groups
Role play with the audience to demonstrate processes
Allow audience members to ask questions at the end
Offer the opportunity to schedule one-on-one time with you
The intrapersonal, as opposed to interpersonal, learner is someone who works and learns best when they are alone.
They set individual goals that are challenging, but not impossible. They are also motivated by internal forces, rather than external ones. They are often introverted individuals, but not always. These people often enter creative fields, become entrepreneurs, and sometimes small business owners. But, they are usually in fields or industries that allow them to work without direct supervision.
Ways to Help Intrapersonal Learners Retain Information
Don’t make discussion groups mandatory
Provide notepads for audience members to take notes
Put together charts for mapping progress in your topic
Create study guides for audience members to work on later
Accommodating (CE/AE): This feel and do style is a hands-on approach. It is suitable for people who are intuitive rather than logical. Such people rely on others analysis and thinking rather than their own. They are proactive, and are eager to take on and complete new challenges.
Diverging (CE/RO): The feel and watch style is for imaginative and emotional people. These people view a situation from several different perspectives and generate a lot of ideas. They are more people oriented and are deep thinkers.
Converging (AC/AE): This is a think and do style. People who are technical minded prefer this. They are accepting to new ideas and like to rely on their learning and thinking to find a solution to practical situations. They also bring up doable practices of theories and ideas.
Assimilating (AC/RO): The think and watch style is apt for people who are more interested in logical sounding theories and clear explanations over practical approaches. They value conciseness and logic.
Deep learning approach: This is a more reflective approach where an individual like to explore and determine the meaning of what he/she has learned and shows interest in ideas and monitoring understanding. They are likely to extrapolate the exact meaning of the author while reading and find meaning and reason behind what they have learnt (Draper and Waldman, 2013). They also try to fit together and link what they learn in other subjects as well and dwell on new ideas. They are hard to impress by long tales, they like to see reason and logic and try to build a picture to fit in all the data. They are keen on details and take notes meticulously. Deep learners are often taken by some gripping ideas and may spend long periods of time thinking and researching about it. The bottom line is that the Intention is to seek meaning for oneself.
Strategic learning approach: The individuals are systematic and organised. They show alertness towards assessment and continually monitor their studying habits or routines. They plan their week in ahead either on paper or in their head or otherwise, and manage the readings and assignments well. They are pretty well organised and time themselves to manage their activities systematically. They work stealthily throughout and do not accumulate work for the last moment.Moreover, they also do not have trouble getting down to work as soon as they sit down to do it (Richardson, J. T. E. 2000). They are also smart when it comes to scoring marks because they recognise what the instructor wants or prefers and do their work accordingly to impress their teachers. They are determined to do well and if they are rewarded (by acknowledgement or good marks), they put in even more effort. Such individuals are careful of what they submit and review their work to see if it fulfils all the requirements and is of high quality. Bottom-line intention is to achieve the highest marks/grades, rewards or acknowledgement.
Surface apathetic learning approach: There is an evident lack of purpose in such individuals. Their syllabus-bound focus on fulfilling just the minimum requirements is because they often reconsider why they are studying what is being taught to them. And if they think that the course is not adding value to their learning, they lose interest and do not put in much effort. The reason could be that the course fails to capture their interest too (Draper and Waldman, 2013). Much of what they are studying seems less related, so they are inclined to do unrelated memorising. In a syllabus-bounded environment, learning is mostly centred on only what is necessary to pass with scarcely any further effort, and research for more knowledge. Individuals are usually complaining about the workload and being unable to cope with it. Their core Intention to cope minimally with the course requirements.
https://eln.co.uk/blog/learning-preferences-dependent-on-context-entwistle
Coffield and his team of researchers (Coffield et al. 2004) investigated top 13 of the 71 learning style theories including its theoretical basis and origin, and its instrument. They also studied conclusions given by the researcher, and those given by other researchers testing the respective theories. The team also built an independent study to investigate empirical evidence of a relationship between the learning style (as per the instrument) and students’ learning aptitude.